Siblings are busy bees on latest, Widow City

Originally published Jan. 17, 2008 in Chico News & Review.
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The Fiery Furnaces
Widow City
Thrill Jockey

Listening to The Fiery Furnaces’ "Widow City" is like glimpsing the inner workings of a beehive. Worker bees buzz around, crossing paths. Some days are calm while disaster strikes on others. The queen bee is Eleanor Friedberger, making all the calls along with her brother Matthew. The tempo of Eleanor’s voice alters between spoken word and short melodic stanzas. At times, the band’s interpretation of indie rock sounds mechanical yet remains charming. Each of the 16 songs on the band’s fifth full-length is a tumultuous story, linking to the next track. The instrumentation is stunning. Grinding and ghostly guitars intertwine with angelic harps, flutes and pianos. Moods change as fast as bees change their flight. Songs like “Navy Nurse”—at 6 1/2 minutes long—sound schizophrenic, and reflect society’s habit of multitasking. Listeners may be turned off by the band’s stop-and-go tempos, but this is a great album for those who like to wander off into the world of experimental art. “Widow City” leaves the lasting sting of a bee, but it is a sweet sting.

Relatively unknown Band of Horses follows up debut with the short-but-sweet Cease to Begin

Originally published Jan. 10, 2008 in Chico News & Review.
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Band of Horses
Cease to Begin
Sub Pop

The cover art of Band of Horses’ Cease to Begin says a lot about how the music on the album will sound. A cloudy night sky with a crescent moon over a rippled body of water reflects the band’s lovely and serene melodies. Comparisons to My Morning Jacket are more evident on this sophomore follow-up to 2006’s classic Everything All the Time. The band formed in Seattle, but band members have roots in the South, and BOH leans more heavily on its country influences here. However, the opening track and first single “Is There a Ghost” is too plain for it to be a single. It does not represent the rest of the album, which is a much more interesting mix of foot-tapping rhythms and soft, intricate patterns. If the band had more mainstream popularity, “No One’s Gonna Love You” could easily have been the wedding song of 2007. Guitar strings are plucked delicately as they accompany Ben Bridwell’s endearing voice proclaiming the song’s title. Clocking in at a little longer than half an hour, the album feels like it should go on for at least 10 more minutes and lacks closure as a result. Regardless, it’s a beautiful collection of songs, perfect for late-night drives by the lake.

Sweden's Shout Out Louds channel the spirit of The Cure

Originally published Jan. 03, 2008 in Chico News & Review.
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Shout Out Louds
Our Ill Wills
Merge

In 2005, Sweden’s Shout Out Louds released an album called Howl Howl Gaff Gaff that showed great potential with catchy lyrics and hip-shaking rhythms. The band’s latest release hits a level of sophistication that confirms the group’s ability to write meaningful pop songs. With uncanny vocals that resemble The Cure’s Robert Smith, the band’s ’80s influence is made evident as soon as the first track begins. The Shout Out Louds successfully manage to hold their own with simple melodies that evoke the deepest of emotions. “Tonight I Have to Leave It” is a bold statement about love—don’t bother with anything but real love. The album continues with a sense of vulnerability, but the dynamics are never lost. Songs that go over the five-minute mark work hard to leave a lasting impression and they succeed by stringing the heart along with airy synthesizers and cascading drums. “Impossible” and the title track have the feel and charm of an antique music box. The final track, “Hard Rain,” is in the same vein and closes the album with a feeling of satisfaction. Our Ill Wills is an album that deserves to be listened to from start to finish.

First major-label offering from Feist delivers

Originally published July 12, 2007 in Chico News & Review.
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Feist
The Reminder
Cherry Tree

Feist’s third solo album starts where 2004’s Let It Die left off. The Reminder is a cozy album with the warmth and security of a baby blanket, blending handclaps and a mix of low-fi indie-rock with elements of jazz. Leslie Feist, who has a history of working with successful indie bands Broken Social Scene and Apostle of Hustle, reaffirms that she can hold her own by showing different sides of her personality. Feist perfects the art of changing moods while keeping the album coherent. The album opens with “I’m Sorry,” a mellow, stripped-down track that sets a charming and sincere mood before jumping into the more upbeat and cheerful “I Feel It All.” And intertwining piano segments in songs like “The Water,” along with Feist’s tender voice—at times reminiscent of a singer at a swanky jazz club—make her sound vulnerable, yet powerful. While The Reminder may remind listeners of Feist’s previous album, it is nothing to complain about. This album will buy Feist some time to expand her audience while receiving play on VH1, gaining the attention she deserves.

The very American LCD Soundsystem continues its indie-dance prowess

Originally published June 21, 2007 in Chico News & Review.
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LCD Soundsystem
Sound of Silver
Capitol

Shame on you if you think LCD Soundsystem is from England. The outfit is headed by New Yorker James Murphy, who assures that he is from North America in “Northern American Scum,” the first single from Sound of Silver. However, the confusion is not unwarranted. LCD Soundsystem’s funky beats are heaven in any English club. Sound of Silver is not any ordinary dance-punk record. While dance music runs the risk of being accompanied by obnoxious, juvenile lyrics, Murphy overcomes this by including themes that range from relationships to politics. On “New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down,” Murphy comments on a well-known political figure without losing the infectious beat: “Your mild billionaire mayor’s now convinced he’s a king.” Every song is different. One minute you’re listening to what sounds like rhythmic pounding of pots and pans, and the next you’re listening to the ocean through a seashell. Murphy’s voice goes from soft and suave to excited and boastful. The great thing about this album is that it is fulfilling whether you’re taking it easy at home or out at a party.